Blog Post #8b: Macronutrients- Fats
Let’s move on to the next macronutrient: fats. In this blog post, we will discuss:
What are fats?
Why are fats so important?
Unsaturated vs saturated fats
How to fit fats into your daily diet
What are fats?
In my experience, many people look down on fats in general, or think that all fats are bad. Actually, the good fats are necessary to a healthy diet. It’s just the bad fats that you need to watch out for. Unfortunately, fat is the most calorie dense nutrient of the big three, and all of those calories can add up. Both carbohydrates and protein provide 4 calories per gram, while fats provide 9 calories per gram. So you do have to be careful on your portion sizes, but fats are still needed in a daily eating plan.
Why are fats so important?
Fats are needed for your body to function properly, among with the other vitamins, minerals, and nutrients. Fats provide you with energy, and help you feel full for long periods of time. Fat is also needed to help insulate the body and protect the organs. The more fat on your body, the more insulated and warm you tend to be! Fat is also needed for regular hormone creation and regulation. Fat is also needed for some vitamins to be absorbed. The fat-soluble vitamins (Vitamin A, D, E, and K) all need adequate fat intake to be digested and absorbed adequately. We will take a deeper dive in the individual vitamins later, so stay tuned!
Lastly, our bodies can make some fatty acids, but we need to eat some fatty acids in our daily diets to provide our bodies with the fatty acids that are bodies cannot make on its own. In a nutshell, fats are just as vital in your diet!
Unsaturated vs Saturated fats
Now with fats, you do need to pick the healthy fats, like the monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Unsaturated fats are usually found from plants, and can be found as a liquid at room temperature. Food examples include olive oil, avocados, nuts, seeds, and fatty fish.
Saturated fats are the ones you need to limit in your diet. Saturated fats can be found in animal products, dairy, and other foods like pastries. Shockingly (or maybe not so shockingly), coconut is high in saturated fat and calories. I understand that using coconut based products or eating coconut based foods have become hugely popular in the past few years, but they are high in fats and calories. Eating too much of these foods or ingredients can actually do you more harm than good. So if you use coconut oil or eat coconut in your daily diet, just be careful to watch your portion sizes.
How to fit fats into your daily diet
We should aim to get 20-30% of our daily intake from fat. Saturated fat should be avoided as best as possible, but try not to go over 10% daily calories in your plan. Ways to get fats into your daily diet include sprinkling nuts over your oatmeal or cereal (I prefer walnuts), adding avocado to your sandwiches or rice bowls, or eating fish instead of beef during the week.
Practical Ways Toward “Peachy” Living:
1) Find ways to add healthy fats into your diet. It’s best to start out doing small additions, like adding nuts or flaxseeds to your morning oatmeal.
2) Try to find recipes that use healthy fats, or swap out the unhealthy fats for healthy versions in existing recipes
3) Try cutting back on use of too much coconut oil or coconut products in your cooking. Use coconut oil sparingly, or use a healthier alternative.
